Duane Morris LLP - The Inside View

Many law students worry that if they don’t fancy starting out their career in the concrete jungle, they’ll be doomed to a life of playing second fiddle to their classmates who do. Fortunately, this doesn’t have to be the case. With its origins firmly rooted in Philadelphia and an impressive smattering of offices nationwide, Duane Morris is proof that BigLaw and the Big Apple aren’t mutually exclusive.

“It was attractive for me that Duane Morris is in some smaller markets.”

“It was attractive for me that Duane Morris is in some smaller markets,” one associate explained of their draw to the firm. Aside from being present in the markets, the firm also receives accolades from Chambers USA for a range of practices across multiple states, including California, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Most notably, the firm receives top marks for its work in labor & employment in California, healthcare in Pennsylvania, and cannabis law nationwide.

Another particularly pertinent drawing point for many associates is the firm’s trial strength. “We have a really strong trial presence, so for students interested in going into trial work, we’re a really good opportunity,” said one insider. Indeed, nearly 50% of associates on our list are trial associates, with the rest spread across the labor & employment, corporate, real estate, intellectual property, private client, and health law groups.

Approximately half of associates on our list were based in Philadelphia, while the rest were split between the firm’s Chicago, San Diego, Fort Worth, Washington DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Miami offices.

Strategy & Future

“About 85% of our revenues are in five industry sectors,” firm chairman and CEO Matthew Taylor informs us, “In no particular order, that's financial services, technology, infrastructure, consumer products and services, and health sciences.” As such, the firm has “Big I” (I for industry) groups which bring together attorneys from different practice areas to serve various industries.

From the perspective of junior associates, the “Big I” groups “are really helpful in sharing expertise” between practice areas: “I’ve found so far the biggest connections between practice areas are between corporate, litigation, and IP.”

Every March, Taylor gives a presentation to associates on the firm’s recent performance and future goals. Associates also receive regular emails from management with updates on recent hires, firm strategy, and interviews with new clients. “With all that, I feel like I have a pretty good knowledge of what’s going on,” confirmed one associate.

Read more from Matthew Taylor under the 'Get Hired' tab.

Summer Program

During the summer program, summers are assigned work through a centralized system where partners and senior associates can upload assignments. “This helped me narrow down what I wanted to do and work with a wide variety of people,” one participant told us, reassuring that “we got substantive work; it wasn’t all just doc review!”

Insiders also noted that mentor relationships developed during the summer program created “a really good support system for me even after I left the summer program. They really wanted to help us work out what we wanted to do and what we were interested in” ahead of joining the firm full-time.

The Work

In their first few weeks as associates, juniors are paired with a partner who assigns them work to get started. Associates can also find work through a centralized assignment system. Each practice has a global assigning partner and a regional one, and associates are encouraged to first reach out to the local one to source work. 

Simultaneously, associates also receive ‘repeat’ work from partners they’ve previously worked with (assigned through the centralized system). “I like that kind of system,” an insider praised, highlighting that “especially as you get more senior, you have a little bit more control over the work you get.” Additionally, sources noted that “the centralized element means if you’re low on hours, there’s always someone you can go to” to source more work.

The trial group covers a wide range of areas, from general commercial litigation to trade secrets, and non-competes to white-collar investigations and healthcare litigation. “The firm is really good at getting juniors substantive work early on,” one associate in the group told us, noting that, “coming into the firm as a first year, a lot of your work tends to be research, but as you prove yourself, you’re able to get involved in a lot of drafting.”

To give a bit more detail, typical junior tasks can include doc review, discreet research projects, and internal memos. There are also opportunities to draft motions, prepare witnesses for deposition, prepare partners for hearings, and draft pleadings and answers. For one junior, this meant getting “more substantive experience than I initially thought I’d be getting in my first year,” and as teams are often very leanly staffed, “we work very closely with the partners and get a lot of exposure there.”

Other opportunities for responsibility and development include getting on the phone with opposing counsel for meetings and conferences and having client contact. Trial associates should expect to do “really a little bit of everything,” noted insiders, adding that ultimately, “they are doing a really good job at trying to train us up to be well-rounded litigators.”

Trial clients: AT&T, Moody’s Investors Services, East Tennessee Children’s Hospital Association. Represented Cisco Systems in relation to multiple patent cases brought against the company by Centripetal.

The corporate department is the second largest group at the firm, and generally covers general commercial, private equity, M&A, venture capital and emerging company financings, public company work, antitrust, securities filings, and even a bit of health law. Juniors can expect to work across all kinds of corporate deals; it’s around the six-to-eight-year mark where associates begin to specialize.

“With a lot of the smaller clients or smaller deals, junior associates are given a lot more opportunity to punch above their experience level.”

Typical junior tasks in this realm include assisting with writing motions, carrying out doc review, and assisting on corporate governance matters. In some cases, responsibility can ramp up: “I found that with a lot of the smaller clients or smaller deals, junior associates are given a lot more opportunity to punch above their experience level,” said one insider, “You’re working closely with a partner to either draft more complex documents or being the one interacting with the client more often.”

Corporate clients: Bridgepointe Technologies, Quanta Services, McHale Landscaping Design. Represented Dogwood Therapeutics as securities and corporate governance counsel in a reverse merger transaction.

The intellectual property group handles both the transactional and litigious elements of the practice area, working on patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. Everyday tasks include working on discovery-related responses and document recovery.

The firm works on quite a few tech-specific IP matters, which include infringement intentions and expert reports. “I like the more technical stuff,” said one junior, “I enjoy that aspect of it but it’s nice to have a mix of stuff.”

Intellectual property clients: AT&T, Action Medical Technologies, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. Representing Kangxi Communication Technologies in a pending investigation at the US International Trade Commission.

Culture

As one interviewee was quick to point out, “when working long hours on difficult assignments having people that are good to work with is really important.” It’s a relief then that, according to insiders, “the people I’m working with day in day out are really fun people!”

The cohesive culture is perhaps a result of the firm’s social efforts. “The firm does a really good job at putting on social events,” reckoned one associate. In Philadelphia, these include a 'social hour' every other week and an associate breakfast and lunch once a month. Firmwide, there’s also an annual retreat – most recently hosted in Boca Raton. “It was a really good opportunity to meet people you might not have met in person before,” insiders reflected.

Career Development

Upon joining the firm, associates are paired up with a partner mentor and an associate mentor who is usually a mid-level. “The idea is that they were just in your shoes, so they’re able to provide advice close to what you’re doing,” an associate explained. Outside of the formal mentorship process, associates are also able to find informal mentors at the firm.

Mentorship is “a big selling point,” one associate mused, “The firm really emphasizes associates taking ownership of cases but at the same time they don’t just hang associates out to dry… they always have a partner or senior associate overlooking the work.” This includes receiving detailed feedback, “rather than just giving you a red line,” said an insider, “That’s something I really appreciate and has helped me grow a lot this year.”

“It’s a really good gig.”

More broadly, “the training I’m getting from partners is exceptional,” one trial associate told us, “They truly care and they’re investing a lot of time in me and it’s a really good gig.” Every year, the trial group has a training retreat for associates (one on the East Coast and one on the West Coast) which features presentations from experts, partners, and associates.

As for partnership prospects at the firm, according to insiders, “it is super clear from day one exactly what you need to do to pursue partnership; partners are very transparent about that.” Serious conversations about the steps needed to get there begin in year six.

Hours & Compensation

Billable hours: 1,950 target

The consensus among interviewees was that the billable target was certainly achievable. “They definitely have the work for you to hit those hours,” said one, though they were quick to add that “they’re pretty good at making sure they don’t overload you,” too. “We’re BigLaw, but we’re not all gas no breaks,” shared one associate.

Ultimately, this pace is also reflected in compensation structures. “We’re not quite market,” said one interviewee. While some were content with their pay, others dotted around the regions would have liked their compensation to match that of the Philadelphia office. “I think it’s a tradeoff,” one insider concluded, explaining, “I think the firm is less strict as far as the billable requirement goes. For instance, if you don’t hit your hours, the consequences aren’t as harsh, but the tradeoff is we get paid a little less.” Upon hitting their hours target, associates receive a bonus. There are also additional bonuses for every 50 hours billed beyond the target.

Work/life balance received rave reviews from associates. “Across the firm, everyone respects our vacation time,” echoed multiple sources. Partners are also understanding and accommodating when it comes to personal commitments like childcare responsibilities: “I still work a lot of hours, but I feel a lot more in control of my time.”

Pro Bono

Associates can count up to 100 hours of pro bono work towards their 1,950 billable target. “Immigration is a really big pro bono area for us,” highlighted one associate of the opportunities available. Our sources had worked on a whole range of other matters as well, including LGBTQ rights, domestic violence, guardianship applications, prisoner rights, criminal defense and veterans’ appeals.

Every week or two, associates receive an email from the firm’s pro bono team detailing the matters they can get involved in. For further opportunities, associates can also reach out to the firm’s dedicated pro bono chair. “The firm is very welcoming of you finding you own opportunities too,” a source noted. To help them get started, all first years are given a pro bono case to work on when they join the firm.

Pro bono hours

• For all US attorneys: 29,680
• Average per US attorney: 36.6

Inclusion

Our sources agreed the firm has a culture where associates feel comfortable raising any reasonable adjustments they may need with seniors and HR. When asked about inclusion, one associate said, “throughout the year there’s a push and discussions about those topics.” To give some examples, Duane Morris has disability resource groups and a mental health team which runs committees, provides mental health resources and counseling, and helps associates implement any adjustments they need.

The firm has an annual D&I retreat which anyone can sign up for and features guest speakers and dinners. With all this in place, it’s not surprising that sources agreed they “feel pretty well supported.”

Get Hired

The first stage: recruitment on and off campus

OCI applicants interviewed:  33

Interviewees outside OCI:  79

Duane Morris conducts interviews across the breadth of the country, with OCI locations ranging from Pennsylvania through Florida, to Texas, and far beyond. Coupled with this, the firm also collects resumes from a similarly varied offering: be it Boston College, UCLA, Cornell and more, the firm has an eye cast over a wide net. From 1,363 applications in 2025, the firm interviewed 112 students. Much to be expected, the firm utilizes OCIs to get a reading on each candidate. Academic achievement, an array of school and extracurricular activities, plus relevant and beneficial work experience are all sought after by the attorneys – predominantly alumni from the respective schools – who conduct the interviews.   

Top tips for this stage:   

“Research the firm, provide specific examples of your abilities and accomplishments, and explain your connection to the city where you hope to spend the summer.” – a member of the hiring committee   

Callbacks 

Applicants invited to second stage interview: 82

With OCIs under the proverbial belt, callbacks are the next stage for successful candidates who will meet with several attorneys in half-hour time slots. Attorneys – usually members from the Recruitment and Retention Committee – ask a series of behavioral interview questions focusing on a number of things: judgment, analytical ability, motivation/work ethic and teamwork, communication skills, professionalism, time management and leadership potential. Alongside this, Duane Morris stresses the importance of flexibility. “Be able to think on your feet,” notes the firm, “and provide specific examples personal to you, as opposed to offering generic responses.”   

Top tips for this stage:   

“Demonstrate polished and coherent oral communication skills, appropriate interview attire, critical thinking and problem solving.”   

Summer program

Offers: 26

Acceptances: 16 (anticipated 2026)   

Duane’s summer program gives students a chance to “embrace opportunities and to demonstrate an ability to succeed.” Opportunity-wise, there are many experiences to be gained in “assisting lawyers in matters of importance to the firm, clients and the community.” Be it observing depositions, hearings, trials, client and board of directors’ meetings, or negotiating sessions and closings, the program asks summer associates to “demonstrate genuine curiosity to learn about the firm and the different practice areas,” as well as showcasing “a desire to grow professionally by embracing new challenges.” With training in abundance – orientation programs, courses on legal theory skills, writing and negotiation workshops, and more – summers are encouraged to throw themselves into it all. Coupled with this, the social side of the program is also a good opportunity to demonstrate one’s character. Whether at a sporting event, a museum visit, a bowling night, or a dinner hosted by a member of firm management, the firm and associates alike stress the importance of being committed. Offers of summer employment aren’t department-specific.   

Top tips for this stage:   

"Duane Morris is a vibrant firm with a great history, and we look forward to bringing in stellar candidates from wide ranging backgrounds who can contribute from day one," the firm told us. "While a high percentage of summers return as entry-level associates, offers are made based on the performance over the course of the program." 

Interview with Matthew A. Taylor, firm CEO and chairman

Commercial strategy, market position and trends

Chambers Associate: How would you define your firm’s current position and identity in the legal market? What differentiates your firm from your peer firms in the market?

Matthew A. Taylor: I think it's very, very strong. We've grown our top line from ‘23 to ’24; we grew it by $50 million on about the same headcount. This year, our headcount is up a little bit, but we're going to grow almost $60 million, so that'll be over $100 million over a two-year period.

What's driving that is a couple of things. One, is our very steady, very strong litigation practice. But, most importantly, both in 2024 and 2025, our corporate transactional practice has been extremely busy, particularly in the upper mid-market marketplace. That's a great place for us, both in private equity and in mergers and acquisitions. Additionally, capital markets which includes bank financing, traditional debt financing, and private credit, are strong sectors. Those are our two strongest practice groups – trial and corporate.

Touching on our next two largest practice groups: in IP, we have never seen busier demand for big ticket patent litigation and that's one of our strengths there. And then employment work, in particular major class action employment matters, have been a strong area for us.

CA: Have there been any developments at the firm over the past year that you’d like law students to know about?

Taylor: We’ve added 90 lawyers this year, about 50 or 60 are new associates. There are about 20 new special counsel and about 20 new partners. A lot of that was in transactional practices. But across the board we've seen some growth in the ranks with some good talent and that growth was in Texas, in New York, in Chicago and in California. On the new partners, we had 12 homegrown elevate from associate to partner in 2025.

CA: Are there any domestic or international events/trends that are affecting any of the firm’s practices at the moment? Are there any trends that you think are affecting the business of law firms more generally, and how is that playing out with your firm?

Taylor: Particularly in IP litigation, you're seeing companies be fairly aggressive in protecting their intellectual property and that's resulting in some fights, frankly. The same is true in the employment area, including the class action plaintiff bar. But, generally speaking, what's been our experience when the economy's doing well is that often triggers litigation. It's our largest practice group; corporate's our second largest, so we're seeing some real robust demand for those key practices of ours.

CA: What is your firm’s commercial strategy focusing on, and how do you expect the next year to unfold?

Taylor: We have been very strategic in developing our industry teams. When you look at our revenue, about 85% of our revenues are in five industry sectors. In no particular order, that's financial services, technology, infrastructure, consumer products and services, and health sciences. They all have subgroups. Infrastructure, for example, has transportation, construction, energy, financial services, banking, finance, and private equity.

That strategy has been  helpful for us to focus on what our clients are asking. The clients are saying, ‘Yes, we want great lawyers, smart lawyers, but, primarily, tell us what you know about my industry.’

We've strategized and brought together our lawyers across practice groups: trial lawyers with IP lawyers, with real estate lawyers, with employment lawyers, all who serve, for example, health and life science companies, biotech companies, medical device companies, pharma companies across those practice groups. We've driven a lot of revenue just by focusing on our expertise in various industries.

We call it big I, I for industry. That's been a great thing, not only for our partners, but for our associates, because we've asked our associates to  roll their sleeves up and get involved in these industry teams to help their own career. Our associates love that. We've also asked them to take on leadership roles within those industry teams to help drive the business case.

CA: Can you tell us a bit more about how the big I teams work in terms of structure compared to having, say, the litigation group and a corporate group and an IP group?

Taylor: A great way to run a law firm is by practice group. We have very great leadership and structure internally around practice groups. The question we asked ourselves and we asked our client base, is that a great way to go to market?

We manage the firm internally, certainly by practice group, but in terms of go to market, we've developed these big I teams and asked our trial lawyers to join our corporate lawyers, to join our intellectual property lawyers that all have good experience in, say, energy or banking to bring that knowledge together and present ourselves to a client and say, ‘Look, we've got really good lawyers who know your industry that can help you.’

CA: Associates reckoned that the firm plans to really focus on expanding in Texas. Please could you tell us more about that?

Taylor: We went through a strategic plan a few years ago and part of that was our strategic growth. We have 29 offices around the globe, mostly in the US, but we're very strong in London, and we're strong in Asia.

From a strategic standpoint, we wanted to focus on where there’s growth. In the United States, there are five areas of growth and then two internationally that we're focused on. In the US, we're focused on New York, California, Texas, Chicago, and South Florida. Internationally, we're focused on London and Singapore; that doesn't mean we won't grow other offices, of course we will and we have, but strategically we're focused on those.

Texas is a very  important state. If you look at the companies, mostly tech companies, but some financial service companies, they're moving to Texas: Austin, Dallas, Houston. We've been in Houston for almost 30 years, but we opened up in Austin in ‘17. We opened up in Dallas in ‘21 and Fort Worth in ‘22. We now have four strong offices in Texas and we are strategically, very actively trying to grow Texas. We're just following the money and that's where the growth is. It's a big legal growth market.

Inside the Firm

CA: How is the firm evolving to accommodate the needs/expectations of the next generation of lawyers?

Taylor: I have a call every quarter with the associates committee, and I say to them, ‘Bring me every issue.’ I have a state of the firm every year which is a townhall; only associates are invited, and it's a hot seat. They speak their mind, and I love it. I want them to communicate. We want to make sure that that they understand that they do have a seat at the table.

The firm very much wants to support them from a wellness standpoint. We've expanded our firm-wide wellness offerings. We also want to make sure on the family support resources we have a parent’s ERG. We have a mindful return and e-course for expectant new parents. We were one of the first firms that had a ramp up, ramp down for expecting parents. That's been  well received by our young, expecting parents.

We have a flexible policy. We don't have a mandate. We have an expectation that our lawyers are in four days a week, but we're also very flexible.

We just had our annual retreat, which we have every year, and it's an all lawyers retreat. We had it in Boca Raton. We had 94% of our lawyers there at our annual retreat and it was great across the whole global platform. We like each other and we enjoy being together.

The Legal Profession

CA: How do you predict the legal profession will change in the next five years? Are there any particular challenges the industry is facing?

Taylor: First of all, we've embraced AI and have a very robust policy on AI use. We have mandatory training on the tools that we have licenses for. We have  robust training because we think it's going to make us more efficient. If you're not embracing it, you're losing an opportunity. We don't believe it's going to replace lawyers at all. It's going to help lawyers and our  clients are expecting it. We've got to be careful because we want to make sure we're doing it within all the ethics rules.

The Fun Bit

CA: Throwing it back to law school: it's been a long day of classes and studying. What's your go-to easy meal to have before you crash?

Taylor: I wasn't a great cook. I would get the Kraft macaroni and cheese Instamix. I loved it. That was my go-to comfort food. That or there was a pizza parlor a block from my apartment in Washington, DC. That was a late-night place and you could always get a piece of pizza. So that was that was comfort food to me.

CA: What was the first concert you attended?

Taylor: I was the biggest Bruce Springsteen fan. My parents wouldn't let me go to concerts when I was in grade school or elementary school. My parents were really strict. But my first concert I went to I saw Bruce Springsteen in Philadelphia with my older brother when I was a first year in high school. I was blown away. It was great.

CA: Thinking about the ways in which the legal profession is developing, what is the one skill you have learnt in your career that you think is key for young attorneys to learn?

Taylor: Be a good communicator. If you're a good writer, you're going to be ahead of the game. I would take as many writing courses as you can. Force yourself to have to write your thoughts on paper and get your message across. It's an art. Being a good writer, it's not a science, but you have to work at it.